Ironing-machine



Patented Aug. 30, 1921.v

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IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1917.

C. E. WAREAM AND D. H. BENJAMIN.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. I9l7.

Patented Aug.- 30; 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

l nllllrullllll III .0. E. WAREAM'AND 0. H. BENJAMIN.

IRONING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 211 917.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

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' .ZZZZ/ZZZZUIE- CHARLES E. WAREAM, 0F CINCINNATI, AND

PATENT oFFleE.

DANA H. BENJAMIN, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COM- PANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

G-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

Application filed July 2, 1917. Serial No. 178,286.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. VAREAM and DANA H. BENJAMIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati and Cleveland Heights, respectively, in the counties of Hamilton and Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ironing machines, and particularly to machines for ironing shirts. The object of the invention is to generally improve the construction of such machines to thereby improve the quality of the work and enable a superior fin sh to be obtained; to simplify the control; to reduce the labor of the operator and increase the output; and to also provide a machine which is not only easy to operate but also is strong and durable and not liable to get out of order in service.

One particular object of the invention is to provide means for clamping or holding the disconnected ends of the neckband while expanding the neckband former therein, said means being preferably operated conjointly with or being coupled with the neckband former operating device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a neckband clamp which canfirst be set lightly with the fingers and later more firmly by more powerful lever or other op-' erating mechanism, to insure correct position of the shirt neckband.

Another object of the invention is to improve the mechanism or devices for expanding the neckband former without affecting the ironing registry between said former and the recess of the cooperating ironing member, by coupling or associating with said mechanism or devices the neckband clamping device, so that a single operating movement produces both functions, to-wit, the clamping of the neckband and the expansion of the former therein, but nevertheless without disturbing the ironing registry referred to.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view through one of the shirt boards or beds and its support; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

elewation and Fig. is a cross section on the'line 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 1s a plan view of the expansible neckband former; Figs. 5, 6 and ,7 are detall cross sections on the lines, 55, 6+6 and 77, Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is an end elevation 0f one of the shirt boards or beds, the view being taken from the right in Fig. 1; and F 1g. 9 1s a detail View of the upper pressing member or head, the view being partly in partly in central longitudinal section.

The machine shown in the drawin comprises a suitable frame, only a part 0 which has been shown, said frame including several columns or pillars 4, one of which is illustrated, said pillars supporting a cross head 5 on which is mounted the upper station ary pressing member. or head 6, into registermg relation with which the shirt board or bed is moved for the ironing operation.

The stationary head 6 is preferably heated, for WlllCh purpose it may be a hollow casting whose chamber may be connected to a suitable source (not shown) of heated gas, such as steam, as is usual. One end of the head is provided with a recess, indicated at 14, Fig. 9, to receive the neck-band former carried by the shirt board, as will hereinafter appear. Consequently it is necessary to properly register the shirt board with the ironing head for each ironing operation to allow the neckband former, which rises from the shirt board to properly enter the recess of the head. 1

The shirt receiving board 10 is supported by a hollow sleeve 14 which receives a post 18 depending from the base 19 of a frame carrying the shirt board. The sleeve 17 is also provided with a lateral extension 20, Fig. 1, which has an opening to receive a rod or bar 17 depending from the base 19. This arrangement enables the frame 19 and attached shirt board to be raised and lowered in its surrounding frame member 17, but without rotation relative thereto. The base 19 is provided with upright webs 20 which carry a block 21 attached to the under side of a longitudinal bar 22 lying in a recess of the board 23 beneath the padding 24 thereon. This bar extends from the tail end of the board to a point near the neckband end thereof, where it is provided with recesses to receive vertical pins 25 (Fig. 7) on which are located sleeves 26 mounted inreoesses in the stationary forward portion 27 of the neckband former. The sleeves 26 can rise and fall on the pins with the ironing motion, so as to allow the neckband former to sink with the padding when ironing pressure is applied to the shirt, but the connections described absolutely prevent any horizontal motion of the stationary member 27 of the neckband former relative to the frame 17. Consequently whenever the shirt board is brought into proper position beneath the ironing head the curve of the front portion of the neckband former will lie in proper registering relation with the recess of the ironing head.

Suitable means is provided for enabling the size of the neckband former to be varied to accommodate shirts of various sizes and to also enable the neckband former to be expanded in the neckband of the shirt to give it proper form. This expanding movement is secured by moving back the back portions of the neckband former, but as the curve of the neckband former should always bear a definite relation to the folding line at the yoke end of the shirt board the board is moved back with the rear portions of the neckband former. This arrangement maintains the folding line at the neckband end of the shirt substantially tangent to the curve at the back of the neckband. The shirt board 23 is attached to and carried by a hollow frame 28 having a base 29 sliding longitudinally on V ways of the base 19 (see Fig. 3). At one end the board 23 carries a back yoke receiving form 30, from which rises a plate 31 having a head 32 provided with a recess to receive a transversely extending rod 33 whose ends enter openings in the adjustable back portions 34 of the neckband former. Said back portions are attached to pins or rods 35 which enter horizontal openings in the stationary forward portion 27 of the neckband former, said openings diverging from each other from the tail to the neckband end of the shirt board, as shown in Fig. 4. When the frame 28 with the attached shirt board 23 is moved rearwardly the rod 33 is carried back and moves with it the adjustable rear portions 34 of the neckband former, said portions also moving outwardly from the full line to the dotted line position, Fig. 4, thereby expanding the neckband former but substantially maintaining its shape or form.

The back yoke receiving member may be heated in any suitable manner, such as by steam or other heating fluid introduced to the hollow heating chamber 36 thereof.

In this machine the shirt is dressed upon the board with its tails diverging, the button and button hole strips at the front of the shirt extending in diverging lines. The neckband is perferably unbuttoned, its edges merely meeting or abutting, although they former or to releasing position.

may lap slightly if desired. The absence of a button requires the meeting ends of the shirt neckband to be clamped or held against the stationary front portion of the neckband former before expanding the neckband former in said neckband, to avoid spreading the meeting ends of the neckband. For this purpose we provide a neckband clamping member 40, shown in Figs. 4 and 6, comprising a body portion 41 sliding longitudinally in a recess in the top ofthe stationary portion 27 of the neckband former and having a depending flange 42 lying in front of said former, and whose inner surface, next to the neckband, may be padded or provided with a suitable yielding clamping surface 43. This clamping member is attached to a rod 44 surrounding which is a spiral compression spring 45 tending to move said clamping member away from the neckband Said rod extends rearwardly through an opening in an L shaped locking member 46 and then through an opening in an upwardly extending portion 47 of a slide 48 movable longitudinally in the body 27 v of the neckband former and provided with a recess 49 to receive the lower edge of member 46. A light compression spring 50 is located between the members 46 and '47 and tends to swing the member 46 forward or to the right in Fig.

6. The opening in member 46 through which the rod'44 passes is slightly larger than said rod, so that when the vertical portion of member 46 assumes its askew position relative to the axis of rod 44 under the influence of spring 50, it grips the rod and prevents it from moving forwardly. Pressure applied by the fingers to the clamping member 40, so as to push the same back wardly, will swing the member 46 backwardly about its lower edge, release the rod, and allow it to move rearwardly. This arrangement enables the shirt to be dressed upon the board with the neckband surrounding the neckband former and the clamping member 41 pushed backwardly by the fingers into light temporary clamping engagement with the neckband on the former.

Slide 48 is also provided with a depending notched portion 51 to receive an upwardly extending toe 52 on a bar 53, which slides in a recess or channel of the bar 22, and whose forward end (see Fig. 1) is pivotally connected to one arm of a lever 54, whose other arm is pivotally connected to a rod 55. By pulling on said rod the slide 53 is moved rearwardly, carrying with it member 46 and moving the clamping member 41 into more firm clamping engagement with the neckband.

Suitable means is provided for actuating the rod 55 to secure a powerful clamping action of the clamping member, and preferably said mechanism is associated with the mechanism for expanding the neckband former, in a manner to enable both the clamping operation and the extension of the neckband former tobe secured by a single operation, and thereby reduce the labor and attention required from the operator.

In the form shown in the drawings the webs 20 of the stationary base 19 serve to support a cross shaft 56 carrying a gear segment 57 and a cam 58. Gear segment 57 co5perates with a on a shaft 60 also carried by the webs 20 and having a depending arm 61 provided with a roller 62 which has movement between an abutment 63 on the board carrying frame 28 and a cross bar 64 also attached to and forming a part of the frame 28 and which extends across between the side walls 65 thereof. Arm 61 also has a laterally extending pin 66, which engages a depending arm 67 of a lever pivoted on a shaft 68 extending across between the walls 65 of the movable frame 28 and whose other arm 69 carries a roller 70 lying beneath the horizontal arm 71 of a latch lever pivoted on a shaft 72 carried by the webs 20 and having a depending arm 73 provided with a toe 74 lying at one side of a rod 75 attached to the cross member 64 and extending through guidirfg' openings in portions of the frame 19. Said toe lies in front of a locking member 76 having a base 77 seated in a recess in the frame, and which locking member surrounds the rod 75 and has an opening slightly larger than said rod. This locking member is similar in operation and effect to the member 46 before described, and when it assumes a position askew relative to the axis of rod 75 grips the same and prevents it from moving to the'right. Said locking member is moved to the right, or to locking position, by a compression spring 78 acting on a collar 79 sliding on said rod and abutting small projections on the member 7 6. Gain 58 lies opposite and cotiperates with a roller 80 on the lower arm 81 of a lever whose upper arm is pivotally connected to a sleeve 82 having sliding movement on the.'rod 55 and lying adjacent a light compression spring 83 between said sleeve. 82 and adjustable nuts 84 threaded on the end. of said rod. Rod 55 is also provided with a j collar 85 serving as a seat for one end of a 55 compression spring 86, whose o posite end abuts a seat on the frame 28. s iaft 56 extends out through one of the'webs 20 and on its outer end is provided with an operating handle or lever 87, for manipulation by the operator. 7

In preparing theshirt for ironing it is dressed upon the board, as before described, with the ends of the neckband meeting or overlapping beneath the clamping member 41,;whieh is pushed up with the fingers into gear segment 59 rotating and the shirt board 23 with rod 55, oscillating lever 54 in a counterclockwise direction and moving the slide 48 backwardly or to the left in Fig. 6, thereby applying the lever power to the rod 44 and securing powerful clamping engagement of member 41 with the front portion of the neckband. Lever 81 is oscillated until the roller 80 rides up upon the outer circumference of cam 58, the springs 86 and 83 allowing additional motion of lever 81 after full clamping action has been secured. As soon as roller 80 reaches the circumference of cam 58 additional motion of lever 87 has no further eifectupon the neckband clamp. The first motion of lever 87 while securing clamping-action, also oscillates the gear segment 59 and turns arm 61 in a clockwise direction, Fig. 1, the roller 62 moving to the left toward abutment 63, thereby releasing the lever 67, 69, which has been held in the position shown in Fig. l by the pin 66. The arm 69 of said lever therefore allows arm 71 of lever 71, 73 to drop, moving the toe 74 away from the lock 76. By the time roller 80 has reached the circumference of cam 58 roller 62 engages the abutment 63, and further motion of lever 87 causes the frame 28 the padding thereon to move to the left in Fig. 1, carrying back the rod 33 (Figs. 4 and 6) and expanding the neckband former in the neckband of the shirt. A's frame 28 moves back wardly rod 75 slides loosely through the lock 7 6, but said lock prevents return movement of said slide. Lever 87 is lifted until the neckband is fully clamped and the neckband former fully expanded in the neckband.

downward movement of said lever moves the roller 62 away from the abutment 63 into engagement with lever arm67 causing arm 69.. to rise. Roller 70 on said arm en ages arm 71 and turns the lever 71, 73 in a c ockwise direction, Fig. 1, advancing the toe into engagement with the lock 76 there. by straightening said lock and releasing the rod 75 therefrom. Further downward movement of lever 87 causes the roller 62 to engage the cross bar 64 and moves the frame 28 to the right in Fig. 1, collapsing the neckband former. This movement continues until the roller 80 leaves the circumference of cam 58, whereupon lever 81 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction, 1, by the spring 86 which moves the slide 48 to the right in ig. 6, releasing lock 46 and allowfered with by the chest, so that these triner ironers 181.

angular portions, do not have any portion of the ironing chest above them. According to our invention we provide the chest, at the neckband end, with suitable guides on which are slidably mounted two back cor- The outer ends of said back corner ironers are connected by links I 183 to levers 18 pivotally mounted in the h ead 5 and connected to a rod 185, to which yielding pressure may be supplied through a spring 186 by a bell crank lever 187, one

arm of which is provided with a roller 188. By lifting said roller the back corner ironers are moved inwardly into yielding engagement with the back of the neckband ormer.

Preferablythe machine is so arranged as to enable the operator to selectively place the back corner iron'er operating mechanism in or out of operative condition, to utilize said back corner ironers, or not, as desired. In the particular form shown the chest is provided with a metal plate 189, hinged on a vertical axis 190 at one side of the recess 14. This plate is provided with an upwardly extending boss or sleeve 191, in which is slidably mounted a pin 192 having a head 193 lying beneath roller 188 when said plate is moved into operative position, as shown in Fig. 9. In this position the lower end of pin 192 is above the solid portion 27 of the neckband former. Consequently when pressure is supplied to the pressure cylinder and of the shirt. The

the board is elevated into ironing relation with the chest the neckband former elevates pins 192 and moves the back cornerironers into operative position, so that heat flows from the chest through the plate to said back corner ironers and irons these portions late also contacts with the upper face of t e neckband former and causes the same o move downwardly along shirt. The invention, of course, is not confined to the particular machine shown, but is capable of considerable modification within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is 1. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carr ing an adjustable neckband former, said c est and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, means r'or adjusting said neckband former without disturbing its registering relation with said recess, and means operatively connected with said adjusting means for clamping the front portions of t e neckband to said former.

2. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a 00- operating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, and operating means arranged when operated to first clamp the neckband to said former and then adjust said former.

3. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former having front'and rear portions, said chest and board being v relatively movable into ironing relation with the front portion of the neckband former registering with said recess, and means adapted when operated to. first clamp the neckband to said former and then adjust the rear portions of the neckband former without disturbing the registering relation of the front ortion of the former with. said recess.

4.. n ironing machine, comprising; an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, and common means operatable from the tail end of said board for both adjusting said former and also clamping the neckband thereto.

5. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a. cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, a movable member and means whereby the first movement of said member clamps the neckband to the former and continued movement of said member adjusts said former.

6. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironin board carrying an adjustable neckband iormer having front and rear portions, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the front portion of the neckband former registering with said recess, a movable member and means whereby the first movement of said member clamps the neckband to the former and continued movement of said member adjousts the rear portion of said former, thereto maintain the-registering relation between the front portion of said former and said recess.

7. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carrying an ad- 'ustable neckband former, said chest and oard being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, an operating member, actuating connections between said member and adjustable former, and a neckband clamp also operated by said member.

8. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with'theneckband former registering with said recess, a neckband clamp, an operating member, operating mechanism between said member and adjustable former and between said member and clamp, and a lost motion connection in said mechanism.

9. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a

cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former, registering with said recess, a neckband clamp, an operating member, operating mechanism between said member and adjustable former and between said member and clamp, said mechanism including a yielding connection between said operating member and clamp.

10. An ironing machine, comp-rising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, a neckband clamp, an operating member, operating mechanism between said member and adjustable former and between said member and clamp, said mechanism including a lost motion connection between said operating member and adjustable former.

11. An ironing machine, comprising an ironing chest having a neckband recess, a

cooperating ironing board carrying an adjustable neckband former, said chest and board being movable into ironing relation with the neckband former registering with said recess, a neckband clamp, an operating member, operating mechanism between said member and adjustable former and between said member and clamp, said mechanism including a yielding connection between said operating member and clamp and a lost motion connection between said operating member and adjustable former.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

CHARLES E. WAREAM. DANA H. BENJAMIN. 

